Foraging expert Sam Thayer believes hickory oil was some native Americans' most calorically important food plant for thousands of years. 

They were here first, they did it first. 

I harvest nuts from trees growing naturally in the woods. I dig out invasive species like honeysuckle and multiflora rose to facilitate harvest, leaving the forest looking better than when I found it.

I have also begun soil testing, correcting nutrient deficiencies (B, Zn, S), and adding biochar to improve soil health. 

Hickory trees like to have full sun for best nut production. They will respond well to fertilizer, but beware that synthetic fertilizers can disrupt soil communities and are fossil fuel intensive to produce. 

I have started fertilizing the trees with urine. Did you know urine is high in nitrogen? The trees love it!